Do Chickens want to be held as They Near Death?

[seminolewind]

I know for myself that I'd like to believe they would. But do they really? Do they just want to be left alone to die, and not want their person to comfort them?

 

[boskelli1571]

Wow! That's a hard one..... I would like someone to be near me, but not necessarily up close & personal. Animals/birds I believe understand and feel more than we give them credit for, so perhaps closeness would make the process less solitary. I think it's also important for the flock owner to feel that they have done their best and if they derive some comfort from 'attending the death' that too, is important.

 

[WalnutHill]

I would think it would depend upon the relationship. If the animal or person is comfortable with you, then yes, I think it would be comforting. But if there is just an arm's length relationship, then I would say whatever least distresses the one passing.

 

[seminolewind]

I think you're right. One of my hens spent a good 45 minutes napping in my lap. I guess she'd want to be held.

 

[ten chicks]

Yes,if the animal knows you. All animals can sense our emotions,and i believe if anything else the comfort/warmth of being held is soothing. If the animal is not use to you or has never enjoyed being held,then just the fact that you are near or place only a hand on them is enough. Animals do not view death like humans nor do they understand it,to them it is just part of life,the circle of life. They may show fear when dying,but this b/c they do not know what is happening to them,this is where holding/petting/talking comes in,it lets them know that it is ok we are here and they have nothing to fear.

Although the death of a pet is devastating and the heartbreak rips your soul,it is a very profound experience knowing you are the very last soul on earth that will see this creature on their final journey of life and i truly believe they take our love with them.

That final kiss goodbye is one we never forget.

 

[Nambroth]

I'd agree... it depends on the individual. I have a few birds that RUN to me for comforting if something is not going their way or if they have been picked on. They also come to me any time they want a cuddle. I suspect these birds would "like" to be held and comforted if they were on their way out. This is anthropomorphizing, of course-- but I can tell you that they seem to enjoy attention and reassurance, and so I imagine that if they have the capacity to feel this way, even if it is some base instinctual thing, that they would like it at the end, too.
The ones that are standoffish, I imagine, would just like a quiet spot and to be left alone.
Again, this is all attributing human feelings to chickens. They are loved pets, but I have no problem recognizing that they are a very different species than we are, and it is a bit silly to apply my emotions to them.
I think that they have emotions, just... different than our own and for different reasons.
Still, we learn all the time from scientific studies that chickens are socially complex animals, and may be more emotionally complex than we sometimes give them credit for-- just in different ways than human beings.

Anyhow, I think it is comforting both for the bird AND their human to be close at the end, if they enjoyed a loving relationship in life.

 

[seminolewind]

I think you're right. As I was petting the one dying , my one BR hen was beside me and later that day she took a nap in my lap. I guess I do have a few more hens that come running to me when the rooster gets too happy. I think some have more emotion than others.

 

[CMV]

This is an interesting question. One to which I do not have an answer.

I have a short story to relay, though. When my goose was badly injured in a coyote attack, she ran directly towards me to escape the coyote and then directly in the front door to my house. She had honestly never had much to do with me. She tolerated my presence barely, and hissed at me when I got too close to her most of the times. We put up with each other for years, but almost never interacted in a positive way. When she was injured and in danger, though, she ran directly to me, into my house which she had never entered before, and allowed me to fuss over her, handle her, and try to help her. She survived the incident, and I would like to be able to say that we now have a wonderful relationship, but we don't. She went back to barely tolerating me, and still yells and hisses at me at every opportunity (although she no longer tries to tear me apart when I have to handle her). I like to think that when she was in pain, scared and in danger, she turned to me for help.

I don't know if this is at all helpful, but it just illustrates that birds do feel emotion on a certain level. They may not show it outright, all the time, but it is clearly present.

 

[azygous]

I'm facing this right now. I have a very sick hen, and it appears I will have to euthanize her. She has always been very affectionate, loving hugs and being held close. I will hold her close and comfort her as she leaves this world.

 

[FarmGirlForLife]

I had this happen to me except it was a pygmy kid that I had saved. She had been week and in the last couple days she had gotten sick. Towards the end the only time she would stop bleating is when I was holding her. This morning my mom took her to let me sleep and put her in her box to go get some electrolytes for her. Bonny (the kid) was dead before she got back